||Desk Report||

The second ODI between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe started with the former winning the toss at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong. Keeping the dew-factor in mind, the Tigers decided to bowl first.

Brandon Taylor (75), Sikandar Raza (49), and Sean Williams (47) batted responsibly to help Zimbabwe post a total of 246 for seven wickets.

After shining with bat in the previous game, Mohammad Saifuddin was the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers in this match, returning career-best figures of 3/45.

Coming on to chase the target, Liton Das took on the Zimbabwe bowlers while Imrul Kayes, too, kept scoring at a good rate. Both the openers took advantage of the dew factor and kept frustrating the opponents.

The two batsmen completed their half-centuries and stitched together a 148-run opening stand just to be broken by Sikandar Raza as Liton attempted a poor shot and ended up getting caught at point. The right-hander played a fine 83-run knock, facing just 77 deliveries. His innings was laced with 12 fours and a six.

The next batsman, Fazle Rahman, again failed to prove his worth as Raza struck in his next over. The newly-capped batsman was out stumped before he could open his account.

However, Kayes kept batting responsibly but missed his fourth ODI century by 10 runs as Raza registered his third scalp as soon as the southpaw entered the nervous 90s.

Mushfiqur Rahim is still at the crease, batting on 28 runs. He shared a 59-run partnership with Kayes, which appears to have put an end to Zimbabwe’s chances in this match. Mushfiqur, along with Mohammad Mithun, needs to avoid any further wicket loss, to help Bangladesh to seal this series with ease.